Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Share of children in primary school age who are in school was 31.2% in 1993. ◆ Volatile
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Afghanistan, 1820–1993
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of children in primary school age who are in school in Afghanistan is 31.2%, measured in 1993. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is up 7.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Afghanistan peaked at 31.2% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1820.
That places Afghanistan 208th out of 209 countries with data for 1993, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1830s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1840s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1850s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1860s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1870s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1880s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1890s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1900s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1910s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1920s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1930s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1940s | 1.4% | 0.0% | 2.8% | 2 |
| 1950s | 4.1% | 3.5% | 4.7% | 2 |
| 1960s | 10.1% | 7.3% | 12.9% | 2 |
| 1970s | 21.8% | 17.0% | 27.5% | 3 |
| 1980s | 29.0% | 29.0% | 29.0% | 1 |
| 1990s | 31.2% | 31.2% | 31.2% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
- 205 Tokelau 36.3% compare
- 206 Democratic Republic of Congo 34.7% compare
- 207 Equatorial Guinea 34.4% compare
- 209 Somalia 14.7% compare
More education data for Afghanistan
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 6 years (2025)
- Duration of pre-primary education 1 years (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 13 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 55.0% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 42.6% (2025)
- Primary school starting age 7 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 112.2% (2023)
- Primary education, teachers 163,167 (2023)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 4.76 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 97.9% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children in primary school age who are in school in Afghanistan?
- Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Afghanistan was 31.2% in 1993, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 31.2% in 1993.
- What is the lowest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1820.
- How does Afghanistan rank for share of children in primary school age who are in school?
- Afghanistan ranks 208th out of 209 countries with data for 1993.
- Is share of children in primary school age who are in school rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children in primary school age who are in school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The share of children of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.